Me & My Birds

Last year I fell in love with the birds. One day I was sitting quietly when I heard a thud on my bedroom window. I raced in, looked down, and saw this guy lying on his side underneath my window.

20190423_102124This guy is a Northern Flicker. I raced down to see if he was okay and started crying because it appeared he was very dead.

Then he winked at me! He was alive!

After rehabbing “Woodie”, as I nicknamed him, he flew off full of vim and vigor. As time has gone on, he has returned many times. Especially if I am outside and he hears me.

Since then, I got out all my bird feeders and filled them with Suet and Seed Blocks. At first, there were just a few who flew in, but soon I think Woodie told all his friends, and my feeders were full, as was my heart.

Here are pictures of some of my favorite birds.

Cardinal 13My beautiful male Cardinal.

P2170010 (4)This the beautiful Mrs. Cardinal. The two have lived in my yard for a long time.

P1160022 (2)Our Hairy Woodpecker Male last winter.

PB140005The much smaller Downy Woodpecker. This is the female.

P6280014 (3)This is our male Baltimore Oriole.

P5070039 copyI took this picture of the Oriole today. He was around a lot. As I have said, I think they are filling up before the storm.

PB140006 (2)Our Blue Jay and the Hairy Woodpecker having tweets over the Suet Feeder.

The Hairy Woodpecker today was unafraid of Jack and I working in the yard. I was able to get fairly close and then use my zoom lens.

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And this guy flew into my air conditioner a few years ago.

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At first, we thought it was a Coopers Hawk. We have since learned that it was a Juvenile Redtail Hawk.

IMG_0433 (3)He was simply magnificent and he has stayed in the area keeping us fairly free from mice. Some people have cats for this job. We have a Hawk. Funny though, we don’t see him as often as I would like.

We have Eagles (which I worry about as a dachshund owner) and we have Crows and a single Raven.  There are Loons and Ducks and even Sea Gulls too.

I never saw myself becoming The Bird Lady, but there is such peace watching them, and feeding them.

Happy Saturday!

I Do Love Nature, I Really Do!

Wednesday was sort of a crazy day. I did manage to get a lot of things done, but it seemed like the Native Wildlife was keeping me on my toes.

During the day it was my birds. Several times during the day I could hear them squawking at me. Especially at the end of the day when I pulled in the bird feeders. There was a Redwing Blackbird who was just chewing me out!

My phone rang, just as the sunset and it was my neighbor warned me that the Mother and her two cubs were in the neighborhood (in fact, quite close by), and I should be careful with the dogs.

Lili would run from the Bears, I’m fairly sure. I think Arnie would too, but Anneliese, (who is blind as a bat) would smell it and bark like crazy.  actually would be afraid for her.

So, the feeders are in, the dogs are also in, and I am a wreck!

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All this from the woman who lives for the Sunday TV marathon of Northwoods Law, on Animal Planet. Most of the episodes have been shot in New Hampshire. A few here or there were filmed in Maine, but they only allowed filming for a couple of seasons and then ceased filming there due to controversies.

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Our New Hampshire Fish and Game Wardens are a good bunch. They not only work their regular job for our State, but back in the days of being social, the Wardens would appear at Camping, Hunting, and Fishing Events.

In any case, you have to know that I do love nature and I love creatures, but not the scary ones and not in my back yard.

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Loons

I was walking the dogs tonight, as I now normally do because of the bears and coyotes when I hear the most wonderful, welcoming sound! The call of our Loons! They’re back and they are calling to each other. I just love the call of the Loon. They are beautiful birds. The Loons or divers are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia.

I found this on Youtube. It shows the beautiful Loons as well as allowing you to hear them.

The rest of our day was as they have all been since this all began. A little computer fun work, meal preparation, and TV watching.

My next foray out to the shops, etc will be on Monday. I am making up a good list and I hope I can get it all at one time.

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Gone To The Birds

I know that recently my blog has gone to the birds. It seems I write about them a great deal. But these wonderful creatures have added so much to my life recently, and between sneezes and coughs, I have watched them, felt joy and taken pictures.

One bird that comes daily now is Mr. Cardinal. He used to be fed by my neighbor, but apparently he likes my Suet feeder because he shows up here every morning.

P1010006 (2) copyMr. Blue Jay is here daily as well. He squawks and squawks if we are close by, as he does not trust us too much…yet.

P6280014 (3)Mr. Oriole comes by too. Occasionally I put some grape jelly on the feeder, and sure enough, he shows up. Apparently he has a sweet tooth.

P6250024 (2)And I have both a Downy and a Hairy Woodpecker that come every single day. Today the Downy Woodpecker came by when I was walking Anneliese and he was not in the least concerned by my being less than 5 feet away. The Downy Woodpecker Male is probably my favorite.

These birds will overwinter here, and I plan to feed them all winter. It will bring me joy to watch this nature in my back yard. It really already has.

Redd Foxx

On Tuesday I found a new animal in my Yard-Zoo. Why I have Deer and Wild Turkey’s, a plethora of Birds and Geese, a Duck or two, Squirrels, Chipmunks and Ground Hogs, and now I can add a handsome and seemingly healthy Fox.

P9170008 (2)I think I will call him Redd Foxx!

P9170006 (2)He scampered about the Orchard in our yard grabbing Pears, Peaches, and apple and munching on them. I knew something had been in the yard, I suspected Bears, as frequently Lili wakes up around 2:00 AM barking at something. I usually stumble to the bedroom door and tell her to be quiet! Then stumble back to bed!

Now I know, it’s Redd Foxx!

Since he/she looks healthy I am thrilled with the new addition. It certainly makes life interesting!

Isn’t that just wonderful!

New Feeders On The 4th!

After a couple of weeks of watching the larger, somewhat meaner birds eat all the suet feed in my feeders, I bought two, small bird feeders, for small birds.

These have a little roof on them which overhangs the feeder and feed, with no place for the larger birds to sit on top of the feeder and empty it!

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The smaller songbirds can feed and the larger ones will go elsewhere. At least eventually they will.

This morning they are out there trying to figure out a way of getting to the feeder and they are having no luck!

Meanwhile, the Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Baltimore Orioles, Cardinals, and some other birds, that I have yet to identify, are out there having a good old time.

It’s not that I am a mean bird feeder, it’s just that when you have grackles and crows coming and emptying a feeder in 20 minutes, something has to change!

So I am very happy on this 4th of July to watch my little friends enjoying the feed.

Oh yes, the window reflectors are on the way! Safety above all else!

Feed The Birds

After rescuing the cute Woodpecker earlier this Spring, I noticed during a shopping trip to an Odds & Ends Store Bird Suet and Woodpecker Suet Treats. Well, that got me started and I bought two to bring home and put out for my ever-growing list of birds.

When we first moved in here I had started to feed the birds, until they began cleaning off our fruit trees. Then I thought they could fend for themselves, as they appeared to be doing very well indeed!

But now, we are no longer working the trees and well, the poor things might go hungry! (Not!) So out my Shepherds Staff Poles, and onto them, the suet treats.

20190615_174455Not the best picture, but that is Woddy hanging on to taste the suet treat! I blame the lack of clarity on the window screen!

At first, not one bird noticed them, but by late afternoon we had quite a few. At dusk, I will need to bring them in for the night so Mrs. Bear does not stop by, and then return them in the morning. I am so into this art of nature. I wish I could say the same for Jack, but he could really care less.

Ah well, I am doing this for me. Well, for me and the birds.

Happy Sunday!

More Wildlife

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
A woodchuck would, chuck all the wood he could
if a woodchuck could chuck wood!

Tuesday afternoon I was walking into our family room when I noticed something outside the front window. At first, it was almost flat against the ground, and I was fairly sure it was some sort of critter, but I was not sure.

I grabbed my camera with the telephoto lens and when I got back to the window this little guy had stood up, nice and tall and was giving me quite a shot!

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I thought he was rather cute as he sat there. You can see his big fat belly and little hands (paws) and the ring of white fur around his snout! Isn’t he cute!

The Woodchuck, or Groundhog, is a common rodent with short, powerful legs and a medium-long, bushy, and somewhat flattened tail. The long, coarse fur of the back is a grizzled grayish brown with a yellowish or reddish cast. Woodchucks weigh least in spring when they are just out of hibernation and most in fall prior to hibernation. When alarmed or suddenly disturbed, they can give a loud, shrill whistle.

Size: Total length: 16–27 inches; tail length: 4–7 inches; weight: 4–14 pounds.

The best Groundhog movie was made with Bill Murray! It was called Groundhog Day”. Now I like this movie and I admit I have seen it more than once. It appeals to the romantic in me, as well as being a hilarious gem.

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So imagine my surprise to learn that I had this handsome STAR (creature/critter/rodent) in my front yard. I was amazed! This seems to be the year of the wild animals for me. It seems almost every day I find some new wild animal has come to see me. Best of all they pose!

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Now here is my next question for my little Groundhog friend…”What’s our winter going to be like and will we have an early Spring?

I know that Groundhog Day is in February, but hey, if this little sucker is living in my sidehill, eating my grass and various other pieces of vegetation, don’t you think he could cough up an answer before February?

The Beauty of Nature

The beauty of nature seems to surround us right now. Because of an unusual amount of rain, our trees, fields, and shrubs are all deep green. The flowers are blooming, and if the wind is blowing just right, the smell of the flowers in my neighborhood permeates the air!

Add to that the three families of Deer that we have in our small neighborhood and I feel as though I have found my little piece of Heaven on Earth!

We have a lone Doe. Now I think she looks pretty heavy, but it would be pretty late in the season for her to have a fawn. It’s not unheard of, but…

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We have our Doe with her twins, and they seem to provide most of the enjoyment in the neighborhood. They visit our neighbors close by and a friend just down the road, spotted them in his backyard. Fortunately, they are staying away from the busier roads.

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Our third Doe has a single Fawn. This Fawn is slightly older than the twins, and she and her Mama are also friendly.

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So, Here we are living in Deer Central and quite happily so. Our neighbors all feel the same way. Somehow these deer have brought so much delight and happiness to the people in my area.

Now I need to also mention the Bears that seem to be driving one of my neighbors crazy. They somehow keep trying to get into their trash. And they keep coming back.

I was driving home at dusk the other day, and a groundhog scurried across our driveway. He was a pretty fat fellow. I intend to look him up on Ground Hog Day for a reading on Springtime!

The Birds continue to fly about. I particularly enjoy our Cardinals. We have a pair that have lived here for some time. I am always thrilled to see them in our Pine Trees.

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I look forward to each day to see who is near us and what they are doing. Life in the wilderness is truly an amazing thing.

Doe, A Deer!

I’ve always liked animals. In fact when I was born my parents had both a Siamese Cat and a Golden Retriever. So all of my life, I have been surrounded by animals.

I’ve loved Zoos, and wild Animal Parks and whenever a creature (aside from Skunks and Porcupines) crosses my path, I enjoy the experience. I recall watching an Otter play on a lake in our State and that was so sweet.

In the early mornings during the summer, I throw open the windows so I can listen to the mournful cries of the Loons on our Lake. Think Katherine Hepburn in on Golden Pond, and you can image me outside as the dawn breaks, calling to them.

So, imagine how wonderful it was almost a month ago when I met our doe in the field one night. She was heavily pregnant, but something else stuck with me. She was quiet, undisturbed by me and almost welcomed my presence.

I have not fed her, or even tried to make direct contact with her. No, I am happy just to watch her graze in the field. She will eat and eat and then pick her head up and look straight at me. She is a beauty!

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The twin fawns came next and we reveled in their arrival. Watching them jump around their Mom like puppies brings joy to me.

Today when we were driving in from grocery shopping, Mama Doe was feeding the Twins and I was thrilled to see how healthy all three of them are. Apparently, our field is providing the nutrition that they all need. And, of course, Mama Doe is still nursing the babies.

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This has been one of the most wonderful experiences I have had. A birds-eye view of nature and the circle of life right here in my yard. I will be posting “No Hunting” signs on our property this fall. These beautiful creatures are so tame that there would be no sport in this. Also, we are in a neighborhood where each house is only an acre apart. Not good for hunting anyway.